se-

(Latin: aside, apart from, without, by itself, by one's self)

sever (verb), severs; severed; severing
1. To divide by cutting or slicing; especially, suddenly and forcibly: When gardening, Jack had to sever or lop off the lowest tree branches with an axe.
2. To put an end to a connection or relationship; to break off: After many harsh words and many misunderstandings about the past, Jessica severed all correspondence with her family and moved to a different town.
3. To disunite; to disconnect; to terminate: Little Tommy accidentally severed or interrupted the link between the computer and the internet by pressing all the buttons on the router!
4. Etymology: from Latin separare, "to separateā€; from se-, "apart" + parare, "to provide, to arrange".
To separate one person from another one.
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severance (s) (noun), severances (pl)
severe (adjective)
1. Very harsh or strict; such as, a severe punishment.
2. Extremely bad or dangerous: "She had severe injuries from the fall down the stairs."
3. Looking stern or serious.
4. Causing great discomfort by being extreme: "Last night there was a severe thunder storm."
5. Difficult to do or to endure: "The excessive gas prices caused severe hardships."
6. Having standards or other criteria that are difficult to meet: "They had to pass a severe test."
7. Plain, or austere, in style, with little or no decoration.
8. Etymology: possibly borrowed through Middle French severe, or directly from latin severus, "stern, strict, serious"; possibly formed from the phrase se vero, "without kindness"; from se-, "without" + vero, "kindness".